Dreaming Again
by kaida-amarante
Summary: "Dreams start so innocently but nothing says that they have to stay that way. A simple, innocent dream can turn into a hellish nightmare in an instant." Slight Lucas/Trip. Character death.


**AN: This all started out with that first paragraph there. That's what I get for rambling. Anyway, there's a bit of Lucas/Trip in there, but a lot of it can be considered either slash or friendship. This is kinda dark for Power Rangers, but oh well. I don't own the characters or the show and I apologize for any OOCness. This is also pretty long…uh…and yeah…Trip and Lucas centric, switches from one POV to another. I actually think this may be a bit too busy. Maybe I should have split it into chapters…Anyway, I hope you enjoy**

Dreams start so innocently but nothing says that they have to stay that way. A simple, innocent dream can turn into a hellish nightmare in an instant. A dream that started out so innocently for me turned into my worst nightmare. What made it even worse was the reality behind it. Knowing that it wasn't really a dream at all, but was really happening, I couldn't take it. Seeing the scars everyday and knowing that there was nothing I could really do to stop what had caused them. The pain I felt in my heart, spiraling in my gut every morning when I woke up…Hearing screams every night when I'm trying to sleep…Waking up from nightmares only to realize they aren't real…even though they are. It's hard to explain. To understand that, you must understand the entire story.

You see, for those of you that don't know, my name is Trip and I'm a Xybrian alien who happens to be a Time Force Ranger. I'm here, with the other four, in the year 2001 trying to capture a mutant named Ransik. Lucas, Katie, Jen, and I are from the year 3000, but our current mission sent us here. That's how we met up with Wes, the new red ranger. Oh, and you can't forget my buddy Circuit! We'd be nothing without him. Anyway, I'll save you the rest of the details and get back to the original story I was going to tell.

See, it all started on a normal morning. The four original rangers were up and waiting for Wes to wake up when Circuit gave us the bad news that there was a mutant in town. Jen ran to wake Wes while the rest of us headed out to where the mutant was attacking. While there, we tried to morph, but realized that none of us could. That feeling of helplessness was extremely scary. It got worse, however, when Jen appeared with worry on her face and told us that Wes was nowhere to be found. If Wes couldn't be found and we couldn't morph…that meant…The mutant laughed. It was a big, ugly scorpion looking thing that had an almost yin-yang design on it. "I'm so sorry to say that your poor little red ranger has met his fate."

With these words, the mutant pulled out a body from behind a nearby pile of rubble, and even though it was mutilated almost beyond recognition, I knew that it was Wes. The mutant had lured him out alone and killed hi, knowing it would leave the rest of us virtually defenseless. I felt myself gag and muttered to myself repeatedly that this couldn't be happening before I felt rather than acknowledged that Lucas put a strong arm across my chest and pushed me behind him, keeping his hand on my arm for safe measure. It took a minute before the screaming started. Jen, screaming her heart out, rushed the beast. I saw her get hit back by its tail and slammed into a wall, but then Lucas blocked my vision of everything going on around us. All I know for sure is that the screaming stopped, along with any sounds of struggle. I didn't have to be watching to know what that meant. Jen was either out cold…or worse. By the way Lucas's hand tensed and Katie started screaming, I knew it was the last choice. This time is was Katie that rushed forward, Katie's screams that got cut off. I stiffened, trying to suppress the growing nausea I was feeling.

Knowing what would happen next, I held tightly to Lucas's hand as though he were the only thing keeping me alive, which he probably was at that point. I begged him, feeling tears well up in my eyes, not to make the same mistake, not to leave me. He simply turned his head a bit and smiled down at me with those warm chocolate eyes of his and said to me that everything would be okay and that he wasn't doing this for glory or anything, but simply to protect me as long as he could. I asked him, at this point sobbing, why and his answer was simple. "Because it's you." He then wiped away some of my tears and asked me to quit crying. Then he turned and rushed the mutant. I nearly puked my guts out at what I saw next. Lucas, mid-run, got stabbed through the stomach with the creature's tail, his eyes going wide as it said something to him. He then turned to me and screamed, blood pouring out of his mouth and garbling his words slightly, "Trip, run!"

But how could I have run? Pure terror kept me rooted to the place I was standing in, even as the tail left Lucas's body and he staggered over to me, leaving a trail of blood behind him. When he was close to me, he lifted a bloodstained hand and ran it through my green hair and, as I would find out later, leaving a streak of crimson blood behind as it traced down to cup my tear-stained cheek, leaving another bloody trail as he smiled softly. "Get out of here, Trip. One ranger has to survive this, at least, and I'm glad that it's you. If you had died I…I don't know what I'd do." His voice broke as he coughed blood up into his hand, some of it reaching me and leaving blood spatter on my clothing. "I'm sorry I can't stay with you, Trip, but I at least want you to know that I…" He never got to finish that sentence, passing out instead, falling forward and leaving me to catch him, creating even more bloodstains. Feeling for a pulse and finding none, I laid him down softly, sobbing so badly that my entire body hurt. So badly that I didn't even flinch when the mutant's tail flicked out and dragged across my abdomen and left wrist, leaving a long, couple-inch-deep trail of blood.

That was when Ransik and Nadira appeared. The mutant turned to them with a smirk in his voice. "How should I kill this last one? Should his death be quick and painful like the others, or slow and agonizing like I promised the blue one?"

Ransik looked me over and turned back to the mutant, laughing. "Look at him; he's not worth your time."

When they disappeared, I ran back to the clock tower and contacted Alex. He must have seen how covered in blood I was, because the first question out of his mouth was "Trip, are you alright?"

All I could do was scream at the top of my lungs. When I finally calmed down enough to talk, I sobbed out "They're dead…they're all dead…I should be too…I should be dead…" It took a few minutes of me sobbing before I could calm down and recount the entire story for Alex.

"You can bring them back, Trip. You just need to go back in time and stop Wes from ever leaving. However…" I stilled. "You'll still remember every single thing that happened today, every night in your dreams, even though no one else will. This day will haunt you with vivid memories every time you fall asleep. You'll be scarred, Trip, emotionally and physically. Are you willing to put yourself through that?"

I nodded. Anything for them.

Everything went black.

Next thing I knew I was in my bed in the clock tower on that very morning, hours before I had woken up. I gasped and jumped up, making sure not to wake Lucas as I rushed to the area Wes slept in and found him up and getting dressed in the clothes he had worn when he was murdered. Suppressing a gag at the thought, I grabbed him tightly by his shoulders and looked straight into his eyes, pleading with him not to go. He asked me how I knew where he was going and why he shouldn't go and all I could do was hiss out "We'll all die if you go know." That stopped him dead in his tracks. The others woke up soon after and were surprised to see Wes up so early, but we all sat in an awkward silence until Circuit told us a mutant was attacking. It was the same butt-ugly scorpion as before. This time, we took it down with no casualties.

We had just gotten back to the clock tower when I was grabbed by my left wrist by Lucas and dragged away from the others, to where no one could overhear our conversation. Glaring at me, he pushed up my sleeve, revealing the scar left by the mutant the first time around. "Trip, what happened?" I remained silent. "What the hell happened?" He was raising his voice. "What did you do for us? What are you making yourself go through for us?"

I don't know what snapped in me, but I burst out crying at this and hid my face in his chest. The others noticed this and were coming over to us, curious. Lucas slipped the hem of my sleeve back down over my scar and made up some lie to them about how my crying was no big deal. When they left, he took one last look at me and walked off. I didn't see him again until that night when we were going to bed. He fell asleep before I did.

(Lucas POV)

Trip was cuter than usual when he slept. More innocent, more childlike…more vulnerable. It was at times like these where I lie on my side, watching him sleep, that I promise to myself, again, that I'll do anything to protect him. I sigh as I look at how the hemline of the shirt he was sleeping in revealed parts of the scars across his abs and wrist. Scars that I knew would never go away. I failed at protecting him this time, but that would never happen again. I sigh again and look at his face again. "I never got to finish my sentence earlier. I was going to tell you…that I love you, Trip." With that, I drifted into sleep.

Only to be woken a couple hours later by Trip screaming in his sleep. I reached over and grabbed him, shaking him until he jolted awake and his beautiful eyes searched mine, trying to search for what was reality and what was fantasy. Finally he found what he needed and slumped into my arms with a sigh, the other rangers gathering around us curiously, asking me what had happened to Trip. I told them that he had been having a nightmare that was a bit too realistic for him to take. They accepted it but looked at me as though I were hiding something, which I was, but they didn't need to know that. Nor did they need to know that later that day, when the rest of the rangers had gone out to train, I contacted Alex. "About Trip and what happened…"

He gave me a long stare. "You remember…"

"That I, and the others, died and left Trip here alone? Yeah, I remember. What I want to know is if there's any way to get him to stop having these dreams. He was screaming in his sleep this morning!"

"It was the price he paid."

"It's not fair!"

"I think him having vivid memories in order to go back in time and stop three deaths is fair."

"You didn't leave him a choice!"

"I told him he could either except this or go on with his life. He chose to bring you back."

I felt a growl escape my throat as I fought back my anger, trying not to scream. "There has to be some way."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I promised myself that I would protect him! And because of some that stupid scorpion, he's scarred! Both physically and mentally!"

"Lucas…? What are you…?" I spun at the all too familiar voice behind me and saw Trip standing there, staring at me with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

I won't even try to deny that I was shocked. "Trip…What are you doing in here? I thought the others were doing some training with you?"

"I came in to grab a drink real quick. What are you doing?" I have to admit that his confused face is kind of cute. "Why are you talking to Alex?"

"Th-That's because…"

"It's because he remembers, Trip." After Alex finished speaking, the room went quiet.

I looked over to Trip, who was as white as a sheet. "He…remembers…?" His voice was completely emotionless. "You said that no one would remember, Alex."

"That's what I thought. But Lucas does."

I felt anger start boiling in my gut as Trip sighed and looked away. "Alex, why does Trip have to be the one having all of these dreams? Why can't it be me?" The way Trip's eyes widened as he stared at me actually filled me with pride.

"Because you choose, Lucas. You chose for him to live the first time. If you had chosen differently h-"

"He would have died and all of us would be dead!" I yelled the words and flinched inwardly at the thought. Trip dying? I wouldn't be able to handle that, even if I had died first. I never could have forgiven myself.

I heard a single scream tear from Trip's throat as the tower suddenly started shaking violently. And then I was falling…Everything was falling. Then it all went black. When I woke, everything was simply rubble around me, over me even. I groaned and rubbed my head to try to get my nagging headache to go away. Then I noticed the fear and coldness filling my chest. I was terrified. I stood, pushing rubble off of my body and started screaming Trip's name as I threw debris from the clock tower every which way. It took me around half an hour, but I finally found him. He was a bloody mess from the fragments of the tower that had been a bit too heavy for his smaller than mine body. "Trip!" I grab him and pull him as close to me as I could. "Trip, please, wake up! I…You can't leave me!" I search for a pulse but find none and end up screaming at the top of my lungs. "Are you happy now, Alex? Now he's dead also! Are you happy?"

I was still sitting there crying when Alex's voice came literally out of nowhere. "No, I'm not happy. Lucas, I'll offer you the same deal I offered Trip. Y-"

"It's a deal as long as I get Trip back." Everything went black.

When I woke up I was lying in bed, Trip curled up next to me as Wes softly laid a blanket on top of us. When he saw my eyes open, he smiled and put a finger to his mouth, asking me to stay quiet so that Trip wouldn't wake. "What's today?" My voice is nothing but a whisper. Wes answers my question and I stop. That morning. The one where the scorpion mutant attacked. I jump out of bed, carefully though so that Trip wasn't disturbed too much, and ran out, finding said mutant and killing it swiftly. Maybe this would change the future, and keep Trip with me. And hopefully, the future, this time, wouldn't loop again.

(Trip POV)

Dreams start so innocently but nothing says that they have to stay that way. A simple, innocent dream can turn into a hellish nightmare in an instant. Now, if only I could remember what it was that I had dreamed to make me think like that? But, for now, I'm content with the strange thought that with Lucas by my side, it'll all be alright.


End file.
